Chamber and committees

It will be short. Thanks; that is helpful.

It is noted that there is not much information about how the social security system can address demand, and in the context that you have just set out, prevention and the way it interacts with other services seems to be important. Can you briefly set out why it is important, what the implications are and what you would expect to see?

Has the minister considered any other ways or mechanisms to apply the equivalence of the 6 per cent uprate to disabled people in Scotland or carers who receive carers allowance in Scotland? Have you looked at any other mechanisms that could be used to get that money into people’s pockets?

Thank you for allowing me to ask a question, convener—I know that I said in advance that I might not have one. I have two questions, if that is okay.

Obviously, we face a considerable cost of living crisis right now, and I believe that the measures are well meaning and the right thing to do. To use a phrase that the IFS witness used earlier, the measures are well meaning but not well designed, given the way that you have done it. I worry slightly that the papers that the committee got last Thursday suggested that you were going to replicate the rates and in some areas were not going to uprate at all. What has changed between last Thursday and today to take you to the decision that you have made? I do not think that it is the wrong decision, but I am keen to know that we are taking decisions properly with robust information and in a considered fashion.

My next question is on the benefits that are still being delivered under agency agreement and that we are being asked to uprate today with CPI, which is 3.1 per cent. I guess that this is not so much a question and more of a statement, but I just want to put it on the record, because it is another frustration of mine. We could have been doing something a bit differently had we been delivering those benefits fully in Scotland. What you intend to do on 31 March in other areas shows what we could have been doing for disabled people and carers if we had not still been using agency agreements.

Probably to both witnesses, but I will not need a question later, if that helps for time.

Thank you; that is helpful.

The Government has indicated that it will begin to review some of the eligibility criteria around the 20m rule this year. When would you expect to see some of the details on the costings for that? What timescale should we be looking at? I am conscious of David Phillips’s answer about when you would expect to see financial decisions as well as policy decisions. It would be good to know what you think about that.

Thank you—it does. If there is a review and the Government is serious about changing the policy, I would like to know that the money was available or where the Government was going to get it and how soon we should expect detail on that.

My other questions are for both of you. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy said that she wants to make “intelligent decisions” on social security. Will you set out how that could be done, whether the Government has the data to do it and what the timescales involved in intelligent decision making on social security should be? That is related to the point that we have just spoken about.

Thank you both for that. That is really helpful. How do the minister and the DWP plan to include the Scottish Government in the development of the reforms to the personal independence payment? How much consideration is being given to the effect on potential case law divergence?

The roll-out of the Scottish child payment to over-sixes has taken some time. What pressure, if any, has the Scottish Government put on the Department for Work and Pensions to move faster to do that? What assurances has the Scottish Government sought that the DWP strategic solution will be operational by the time of the roll-out?

That is helpful. At what point did the Scottish Government ask that particular question?

Does the minister believe that changing the eligibility criteria for the enhanced rate of the mobility component would impact on passported benefits?